| The ideal temperature and humidity of any wine | | | | consideration. A cheap initial price will soon be |
| cellar would do well to mimic the natural conditions | | | | forgotten if the wine cellar cooling unit fails and |
| of France's legendary wine caves, which are | | | | stresses your wine. |
| acknowledged to be close to perfect. | | | | - Wine cellar units should be rated close to the |
| Keeping the rest of the world's cellars at the | | | | intended operating temperatures and humidity. |
| same 55-57 degrees Fahrenheit (14 degrees C) | | | | This means around 55 degrees F and 60% |
| and with an average of 60% relative humidity | | | | relative humidity. Be sure the unit you are buying |
| generally requires some form of dedicated wine | | | | is rated for wine cellar use, not household use. |
| cooling system. To properly control the cellar | | | | - Because there are many variables other than |
| temperature and humidity, the system should | | | | the number of bottles or the cubic footage of the |
| take into account and manage not only the cellar's | | | | cellar to consider before selecting the type and |
| temperature but also the vagaries of the climate | | | | size of a cooler, it is best if the calculation is done |
| in which you live. It is hot/dry? Hot/humid? Cold | | | | by a professional using a load calculation program. |
| dry? Cold/humid? Will your system also be | | | | These variables might include frequency of door |
| required to supply heating to maintain the correct | | | | openings, lighting intensity, room insulation, doors |
| winter temperature? These are all important | | | | and windows, frequency of case turnovers, etc. |
| considerations when building or retrofitting your | | | | Why is Humidity Important? |
| wine cellar. | | | | Humidity is a critical feature often overlooked in |
| Understanding Temperature | | | | wine cellar design. 50% - 70% is recognized as |
| 55- 57 degrees F (14 degrees C) is considered to | | | | adequate, with 60% the ideal. |
| be the ideal temperature for storing and properly | | | | - When the humidity is higher than 70%, it will |
| aging wine. If the temperature consistently | | | | likely cause mold and degradation of the labels and |
| fluctuates up or down several degrees, your | | | | glue. |
| wines will be compromised and may age | | | | - When the humidity is below 50%, corks will |
| prematurely. | | | | begin to dry out resulting in loss of liquid in the |
| - Some cooling units are controlled using an | | | | bottles and possible degradation of the wine. |
| in-bottle liquid temperature device, which signals | | | | How to Resolve the Humidity |
| the unit to adjust when it senses a change of 2 | | | | - First step should be the installation of a vapor |
| to 4 degrees of temperature in the liquid. | | | | barrier around the entire room. A minimum of 4 |
| Unfortunately, by the time the wine inside the | | | | mil plastic is recommended with seams overlapped |
| insulated bottle reacts to the fluctuation, the air in | | | | and taped. The vapor barrier is installed on the |
| the cellar has already shifted many more critical | | | | outside (or warm side) of the cellar insulation. This |
| degrees. | | | | is to prevent condensation from forming on the |
| - A wall-mounted thermostat with a range of + | | | | vapor barrier, potentially causing mold. |
| or - 1 degree F is ideal. | | | | - A cooling unit alone cannot add moisture or |
| - Cellars subject to ambient temperatures below | | | | humidify cellar air. It needs a humidifier to do so. |
| 55 degrees F should be protected by a heating | | | | The best option is a humidifier integrated into a |
| coil. Without the ability to heat, a cooling unit can | | | | cooling unit so it operates and distributes the |
| do nothing if the temperature in the cellar falls | | | | moisture evenly in the re-circulating air. However, |
| below the control set-point. The best system is | | | | a free-standing humidifier can also be installed in |
| one where the heating is integrated into the | | | | conjunction with a cooling unit as long as this is |
| cooling unit and works on the same thermostat. | | | | controlled by a high-quality wall-mounted |
| How to Resolve the Temperature Problem | | | | thermostat. |
| - In all cases, quality should be a primary | | | | |